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The Basque language is unrelated to any other language family and its origins are unknown. Trikitixa is the most widespread and well-known form of Basque folk music, though there are also singer-songwriter and choir traditions.

Euskadi, or Basque Country, is home to a lively style of folk music called trikitixa, based on a diatonic accordion and tambourine. Kepa Junkera and Joseba Tapia are probably the most famous performers of trikitrixa accordion. There has been influences of Tejano artists like Flaco Jiménez.

Other Basque instruments are alboka, a difficult double clarinet played in circular breathing technique as Sardinian launeddas, the txalaparta wooden xylophone played by two players and txistu (a local tabor pipe).

There is also a tradition of choral music, like the Orfeón Donostiarra and Mocedades.

Basque artists singing in Spanish have a wider market sometimes reaching Spanish America, examples are Luis Mariano, Ainhoa, La Oreja de Van Gogh and Duncan Dhu. The French Basques have produced their own stars, including the choir Oldarra from Biarritz and the operatic singer Benat Achiary.

Other Basque artists singing in Basque include Anari (musician), Oskorri, Negu Gorriak, Benito Lertxundi, Mikel Laboa, Fermin Muguruza and Azala.

A txistu

The txistu is a kind of recorder that became a symbol for the Basque folk revival. This three-holed recorder can be played with one hand, leaving the other one free to play a percussion instrument. In the 18th century, the txistu was adopted by the Count of Peñaflorida and his Basque Illustration cultural revival, and became a part of Basque aspirations for the nobility. The instrument was modified to give it a range of two octaves and a larger version called the silbote was created to accompany polyphonic compositions.

Rural txistu musicians continued their own traditions, while the urban txistularis formed schools to teach the instrument.

The oldest txistu melodies are characterized by a Mixolydian mode in G, which is the same as the seventh mode in Gregorian chanting. More recently-composed songs are still in G major, but in either natural or sharp F or, more rarely, C. There are exceptions, however, in major F melodies with natural B.

The Association of Txistularies in the Basque Country was formed in 1927 to promote txistularis. The organization has continued its activities to the present, except for an interruption during the Francisco Franco dictatorship.

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (June 2007)

The Basque region has had a number of successful rock acts since the 1970s, including Kortatu, Negu Gorriak, Barricada, B.A.P.!!, Berri Txarrak, Peiremans, and Kashbad.

• Download recording of "Lili bat ikhusi dut", a Basque-American folk song from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by Francisco and Matias Etcheverry on September 11, 1940 in Fresno, California
• Santa Agueda, traditional a capella song . (help·info)

• Khteian-Keeton, Teddy (1994). Guide to Basque Music. Idaho Arts Archives & Research Center Filer P. ISBN 0-9675042-0-1. 
• Martija, José Antonio Aran (1985). Basque Music. Basque Government. ISBN 84-7568-071-2. 

• Basque Music and Art (Buber's Basque Page)